THE WHALE FISHERY. 55 



The first shore- whaling camp on the California coast was established by Capt. Joseph Clark 

 near Monterey, about the year 1851.* . From Monterey Captain Clark went to San Diego and 

 thence to Portuguese Bend. He went to Ban Simeon about 1864. 



Capt. Frank Anderson, who is said to be now the most experienced whaling captain on the 

 coast, is a native of the Azores Islands, his Portuguese name having been dropped on naturalization 

 in the United States, as is the general custom among the natives of the Azores. He was at first a 

 whaler on ships from New Bedford, then came to Califbrma-in 1866, and since 1873 he has had 

 charge of whaling-camps as captain. He was at San Luis Obsipo until 1874, at Portuguese 

 Bend till 1877, and at Pigeon Point till 1879, when he with his entire company removed to Cojo 

 Viejo. 



The San Diego fishery was established by Captain Clark about 1858. In 1869 the whalers 

 were driven off from Ballast Point in January, the land being taken for Government purposes. 

 The company lost the rest of that year; then they went to Santo Tomas, in Mexico, at which point 

 a company has been most of the time subsequently, but Captain Anderson is informed that they 

 have now suspended. Before the arrival of this party at Santo Tomas, another party, under Cap- 

 tain Price, had been there in 1864 and 18G5. The Mexican Government charged a fee of about 

 850 annually, and the United States customs officers at San Francisco admitted the oil free of duty, 

 although shipped from a Mexican port, "in consideration of the fact that they were Americana 

 aud poor men who worked for their living." This privilege was afterwards refused to certain San 

 Francisco capitalists. 



In 1866 a station existed for a short time on Dead Man's Island, a circular rock rising in San 

 Pedro Bay. 



Portuguese Bend is an unusually good station for winter whaling, although little comes there 

 111 summer. While there Mr. Anderson used to work only in winters. In the three winters, 

 December to April, spent there, 2,166 barrels of oil were obtained. 



Pigeon Point has many summer whales, but the water is too rough in winter. The first year 

 1,000 barrels were obtained ; the second year 564. In 1877, in the. month of September, a whale 

 120 feet long is reported by the New Bedford Standard to have been " towed into Pigeon Point 

 for the whaling company, making two whales at anchor at that port." 



Goleta was not a very good station. The camp came about 1870 and broke up in 1878. 

 There were three companies there in all, the first of Jamaica negroes. One winter 450 barrels 

 were obtained then-. 



Whaling was practiced is Los Angeles County for a time, but was discontinued in 1876. 



The following species of whales are found on the Pacific coast : 



(1) Sperm whale, not taken by shore camps. 



(2) Humpback whale, or summer whale. 



(3) Gray whale, or devil fish, so called because it fights harder than the others. 



(4) Right whale, not often seen. 



(5) Sulphur-bottom whale (Sibbaldius sulfureus Cope). Large, 80 to 110 feet long. Twelve 

 of them were taken at Pigeon Point, but none yet at Cojo. They pass by going north in April 

 aud south in the fall. They are hard to hold 01 tow, because when dead the under jaw drops 

 down. 



(6) Finback. Two struck at Cojo, but lost in deep water. They are very slim, with but 

 little blubber, 100 to 120 feet long, and make about 30 barrels of oil. 



'Seammon says the first camp was established by Captain Davenport, at Monterey, in 1851. 



